Students in the University of Amsterdam's interdisciplinary social science program are being told to leave laptops, tablets, and phones out of lectures and return to handwritten notes, part of an effort to reduce classroom distraction for both device users and the students around them.
Here's what to know
According to the NL Times, citing NOS, students in the UvA program are expected to take notes on paper instead of using screens. The university said the policy is meant to keep students focused on study materials during class.
Cyrilein Eversten, an associate professor in the program, told NOS the rule followed repeated signs that electronics were pulling students away from lessons. He said about 60% to 80% of students who brought devices into class ended up using them for activities unrelated to their studies.
"Whether this is online shopping or sending each other things on Instagram. They were mentally absent from the lecture and from the material," Eversten said.
More background
The ban feeds into a growing debate over whether digital tools help students learn more efficiently or create more distractions. Program director Michaela Hordijk acknowledged that the research is not entirely one-sided.
Hordijk pointed to findings often cited in favor of handwriting, saying that "there are scientific studies that say you remember what you've written down better," the NL Times reported. But she also noted that other studies say, "Well, that's overstated."
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Student reactions have been mixed. One student told NOS that the policy works well for them, while another argued that "the responsibility for preparing for the exam lies with us. I think we should have a certain freedom of choice within that preparation in how we want to do it."
What can be done?
NOS also cited Paul Kirschner, professor emeritus of educational psychology, who said he once enforced a similar rule in his lectures at Utrecht University. He described devices bluntly, saying, "Turn off all the electronic devices, because they are a weapon of mass destruction."
He said the logic behind the approach comes from the pace of handwriting: "Writing is slower. That means people have to summarize and paraphrase what I've said. Then you are processing the information. And learning is processing the information."
Where can I learn more?
Questions about screens in the classroom extend well beyond Amsterdam's social science lectures, as these stories explore.
• Researchers found a stark difference between students who wrote notes by hand and on laptops.
• In Norway, an iPad rollout nearly tanked classroom literacy and focus for many students.
• At Brookings, researchers warned that the damage already caused by AI in schools is daunting.
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